


Nocturnal Creatures

by methylviolet10b



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluff and schmoop, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-07-15
Packaged: 2018-04-09 11:03:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4346063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/methylviolet10b/pseuds/methylviolet10b
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A discussion of childhood pets gives John clues about Sherlock's history.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nocturnal Creatures

**Author's Note:**

> Written for JWP #14: Not So Cute.  
> Warnings: Unrepentantly fluffy schmoop, as the prompt required. Not much plot. And absolutely no beta. This was written in a huge rush. You have been warned.

“You did have one, didn’t you.”  
  
It was the sort of nonsequitur that was far more typical from Sherlock than John, and perhaps all the more effective for that. John watched Sherlock still.  
  
“One what?” Sherlock’s question was deceptively mild. John was not fooled.  
  
“A childhood pet.” It had come up in conversation at the aftermath of a crime scene, one of those over-tired, random exchanges that drew you closer as a team. John could have guessed that Lestrade had a mutt of a dog as a child, and it didn’t surprise him too much that Anderson had a pair of Siamese cats. Sally was more of a surprise; not just a dog, but a purebred pug, not what he would have pictured for her. Unfortunately, her dismissive barb as Sherlock approached about how Holmes couldn’t possibly have had a pet was sadly predictable. Sherlock had ignored it at the time, but John had noticed.  
  
Sherlock cocked his head, clearly curious. “What led you to that conclusion?”  
  
_Because I could see your pain for just a second before you thought to hide_ , John could have answered, but did not. “If you hadn’t had a pet, you would have said so to Sally, probably with at least two different insults. But you avoided the subject. So I think you had one, and didn’t want to talk about it.”  
  
A delighted grin flashed across Sherlock’s face like sunlight. “Excellently reasoned. You might learn the art of deduction yet.”  
  
“Ta very much.” John did not let the backhanded compliment throw him off. “So what was it?”  
  
“What was what?”  
  
“Your pet.”  
  
“We weren’t allowed to keep pets,” Sherlock hedged. “Mummy is allergic to dogs, and Father and Mycroft both hate cats. And I wasn’t allowed to help with the bees in the garden.”  
  
_Bees?_ John wondered, but let it pass for the moment. “But you had one anyway.”  
  
“It wasn’t a pet, it was a scientific study carried out over the course of several years.”  The statement was automatic, reflex. John wondered how many times Sherlock had said it to himself, or to others.  
  
“A study of what?”  
  
“ _Muscardinus avellanarius._ ” Sherlock said it airily, the syllables tripping lightly off of his tongue.  
  
“What?” With a name like that, John half expected some kind of…well, something weird and impressive and possibly poisonous.  
  
“The hazel dormouse. It’s the only dormouse native to England.”  
  
John blinked. Not for worlds would he let any hint of surprise show at the idea that Sherlock had kept a mouse as a pet. “Is that some special kind of mouse?”  
  
“A different subfamily entirely, John. As a medical man, I’m surprised you don’t know that.”  
  
“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a dormouse, much less learned its taxonomy. Where did you get it? Are they sold in pet shops?”  
  
“No, no, I found it inside the house. Quite odd, as they’re arboreal. It had no business being there. I caught it before anyone else saw it.” Sherlock’s enthusiasm grew more obvious with every word, with every non-judgmental reaction John gave him. “I’d never seen one before, and wanted to know what it was. Once I identified the species, I realized that it was far too underweight for the time of year. There was no way it would survive the winter hibernation without substantial weight gain. So I decided to initiate a scientific study into the maximal weight gain possible in dormice when presented with an unlimited quantity of forage.”  
  
“You kept it, and you fed it up,” John translated.  
  
“It was a study,” Sherlock insisted. “Only I did not account for all the variables. Mustard gained weight as I expected, and is natural for dormice, but he never went into hibernation. My room was too warm, and probably too much light compared to the natural light levels.”  
  
“Mustard?” The question slipped out before John could stop it, and he mentally cursed as he saw Sherlock stiffen.  
  
“A shortened bastardization of _Muscardinus_. It was quicker to write in my notes.”  
  
“That’s brilliant. And a good name. Was he a good test subject?”  
  
Sherlock relaxed at John’s easy acceptance. “Oh yes! Dormice are far more intelligent than I realized, or is commonly recognized in the literature. I was able to train him very well. By spring he would climb into the scale at my signal, and hold still until I recorded the weight and gave him his reward. He would also sit on my shoulder quietly while I wrote in my notebook, or read one of my books.”  
  
John smiled at the mental image that conjured, of a young Sherlock reading a book with a dormouse perched on one shoulder. “And you managed to keep him a secret?”  
  
Sherlock made a face. “Mycroft found out eventually, but I was able to bribe him to keep quiet about it as long as I gave him some of Mustard’s hazelnuts. He liked them very much, but Mummy wouldn’t allow him to have any because of his weight.”  
  
“That was clever.” Personally John suspected that Mycroft accepted the bribe for reasons that had very little to do with nuts. “How long did he keep the secret?”  
  
“Just a few months.” Sherlock’s face lost some of its animation. “Dormice don’t live very long, as it turns out.”  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
“For what? He was just a study subject. And he had a good life,” Sherlock added, somewhat uncharacteristically.  
  
“I’m sure he did. Did you ever catch another dormouse, to continue the study?”  
  
“No. They’re nocturnal and arboreal, and they were never very common in our part of the countryside. They’re getting quite rare now.”  
  
“That’s too bad. I’d love to see one, someday.”  
  
Sherlock gave him that quicksilver grin. “I believe they have some in a zoo in Devon. I’m sure a case will take us in that direction one of these days.”  
  
A warm glow settled in John’s chest. “I think I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted July 14, 2015


End file.
